Florida Legislature:
The Florida Legislative Session starts on January 13, 2026. Bills can be filed until January 9th to be considered in this session.
H499/S718: Titled Water Management are preemption bills prohibiting counties and municipalities from adopting laws, regulation, rules or policies relating to water quality or quantity, pollution control, pollutant discharge prevention or removal, or wetlands, giving this regulation to the state; repealing a provision relating land management review teams. etc.
H239/S558: These bills concern and requires all municipalities to use DOT standards for Stormwater Systems.
H1019/S1058:These bills about Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances would, at a certain date, prohibit the sale or purchase of substances containing these compounds and would provide for testing of biosolids for the presence of them.
S934 Areas of Critical State Concern: This bill, if passed, would allow low income housing in Areas of Critical State Concern. This is important locally because we have the fairly new area in Melbourne Beach that was designated as an Area of Critical State Concern 3 years ago. It also is on a barrier island and low-income housing is generally denser development than the infrastructure (water, roads and waste) could handle.
Reference: legiscan.com/FL/pending/senate-environment-natural-resources-committee/id/3777
Property Taxes:
The Florida House advanced a series of proposals designed to cut non-school property taxes, which could change how local governments fund services and manage local finances. The proposals include a measure to eliminate the taxes immediately, and another to phase them out over 10 years.
It sounds like the bills will not affect safety services such as the County Sheriff's office, local police departments, fire departments and emergency medical services (EMS). Unfortunately, this would have heavy consequences here in Brevard on things like our county parks, road maintenance, sidewalks, street lighting and drainage/stormwater systems; upkeep of our parks, community centers and recreational facilities; County libraries and their associated programs; environmental initiatives and mosquito control programs; as well as bonds for major capital projects, such as new facilities or large road improvements.
I read that it would take $43 billion dollars to replace property taxes across the state.
Blue Origin Waste Water Permit Extension:
Florida and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have allowed Blue Origin to keep discharging almost 500,000 gallons a day of water that starts as drinkable, gets used for rocket-component testing and cooling systems, and after use is classified as “industrial wastewater.” Before it ends up running into the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), this water flows into a pond about the size of seven football fields. Since the Indian River Lagoon is brackish, and the amount of development throughout the county and Space Operations, any fresh water can be disastrous to the IRL, killing seagrass and disturbing the environment due to the 50 plus years of various pollution of the Lagoon.
Blue Origin has not had a good history of the following:
- Sampling & Inspection Failures: for not collecting industrial wastewater samples at required locations and missing monthly inspections;
- pH Exceedances: documented violations for pH levels in its discharge reports;
- Unpermitted Discharge: fined for conducting static fire without the necessary permit for their water deluge system.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will conduct a public meeting on Blue Origin's permit on January 30. 2026.
At a recent meeting at the County Commission meeting, a lady asked why the best minds in the nation who send our Astronauts to space and beyond can’t come up with steps to prevent destroying the IRL’s environment. A Very Good Question!
Florida Leads Nation in Environmental Job Cuts:
Florida cut 394 jobs, or 19% of full-time positions, at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 2010 to 2024 and cut environmental spending by 7% during the same time period. Florida has been rolling back regulations, cutting back on inspections and enforcement, and ignoring the impacts of climate change even as the state has been battered by severe storms that caused record flooding.
Reference: instagram.com/p/DSIDpCWEf6_/
North Merritt Island Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Plant:
At the December 10, 2025 Port Canaveral meeting, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation & BHE GT&S made a presentation to have a LNG Plant at 1350 Sea Ray Drive, just across S.R. 528 from hundreds of homes near North Banana River Drive. Their arguments were the lack of facilities close to Port Canaveral, the huge amount of LNG needed for the Port, and that from a safety standpoint, LNG is the best, as it’s non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-explosive, becomes liquid below –260° F becoming a liquid, which reduces in volume 600:1 for easy storage, transportation and fueling. Good arguments from a business perspective. HOWEVER:
Because of accidents in the past and the vicinity of this plant to hundreds of homes near this location, North Merritt Island residents say there is a petition on Change.org to conduct the following:
1. Refrain from approving any sale of land for an LNG facility without a transparent and comprehensive public review process.
2. Commission an independent environmental and safety analysis prior to any land conveyance.
3. Consider alternative locations outside of sensitive waterways and nearby residential communities.
4. Conduct properly advertised public hearings before any disposition of land is approved.
The Port seems to be between a rock and a hard place. Due to the number of ships currently using or converting to LNG and the use at Canaveral Space Force Station, the need for a close LNG Plant is definitely real. On the other hand, the LNG plant’s proximity to S.R. 528 and hundreds of homes within 1,000 feet makes implications of any leak or other major accident to a large number of residents and the possible closing of S.R. 528 risky.
There was a 2013 request for an LNG plant to be just north of Port St. John just north of the Orlando Utilities Plant on King’s Highway, and it was shut down due to North Merritt Island residents’ concerns for barging the LNG through the canal through Merritt Island to the Port.
Coming Soon:
The importance of the Indian River Lagoon ½ Cent Sales Tax, and the discussions going forward until the 2026 Election Day in November.
Cheerio,
~ Maureen Rupe
rupe32927@gmail.com
This article expresses the views of its author.
